Shanks: Before a Yonko!
by Yonko B. Meng
Summary: Shank's mysterious past before he was crowned one of the four pirate emperors of the sea.
1. Prologue

The West Blue Sea dazzled as beams of sunlight bounced off of the ocean water; an ocean breeze swept by, rustling a young boy's trimmed red hair.

"Wow, five years." He thought.

Five years had indeed passed since he last came back here. He was 12 now, old enough to make his own decisions; as if there were anyone else to help him to. For five long years, he had been alone, fending for himself, teaching himself the rules of life. The forest's dangers had kept him alert and alive throughout this time and he appreciated it very much. These days, he loved to stay near the cliff; it was a kind of relief for him. When he's near it, it makes him feel safe, like a fortress. As he stood on the rocky, rough cliff, his mind left him as he stared out at the open sea. His mind replayed everything that had happened to him that very__day, five years ago. His eyebrows twitched as he recalled his villages raze. He could still see the fire that destroyed his house and the rest of his family with it.

He had just arrived back from the forest picking out the fresh coconuts for dinner, when he saw the flames engulfing the house.

"Shanks, run!" his brother had yelled so fiercely. Shanks dropped the coconuts.

"Dragon! NO!" he bellowed as he sprinted into the flames.

Shanks gasped as he was startled back to the present. He was sure he saw a faint black reflection along the water. He squinted into the open sea, but didn't see anything. Relieved, he lay down staring up into the seemingly infinite sky join with the infinite water of thesea, and once again, the memories flowed.

Shanks had dragged his brother's broken body out of the house on a blanket.

"Here, at least I could save this, Shanks." Dragon whispered softly. Unwrapping his sheared arms, he revealed a simple straw hat.

"Happy Birthday, brother." Dragon whispered again gently nestling it onto Shank's head. Shanks had tears pouring out of his eyes, he was about to wipe them away when Dragon held his arm firmly.

"It's ok to cry sometimes Shanks, don't be afraid to." Dragon whispered, forcing a grin.

"Be strong Shanks, live and be a great man. Live out your to life to the fullest and- do me a favor and take care of yourself." Dragon could barely get the words out of his throat. He touched Shank's cheek.

"Who Dragon, WHO DID THIS! Who-Who- would do this-" Shanks first yelled, them whimpered. Dragon slowly lifted his charred hand and drew 3 consecutive circles and an "x" across them.

As the two brothers looked into each other's eyes, Dragon's hand dropped, and his body, limp. Shanks didn't want to see more and was snapped out of his flash back, shuddering and shaking. He collapsed to the ground and his eyes slammed shut.

Shanks sniffed the air as his eyes blinked open. The ocean breeze had helped him come to. Lying down on the sea worn rocks, he looked far out into the ocean, longing, that one day, he could sail on them. He didn't know when or why the thought of becoming a pirate occurred to him. Perhaps it was the idea of total freedom, his desire for vengeance, or maybe his love of swimming. He didn't know what drove his thoughts that way, but he knew, at whatever the cost, he would become one. Little could he imagine what he would become, even more so, the cost of it all.


	2. Chapter 1

Second Chapter. I personally felt this one was kind of short, but it'll get a LOT longer later

"KaBOOM!" Shank's eyes flashed open as he nearly fell out of his hammock. He turned to his side. With his vision blurry he couldn't make out anything, except the smoke rising up from the edge of the cliff. Curious, he made his way out of the hammock and inspected the wreckage. There seemed to be a cannonball resting on the newly made ledge of the rocky cliff. Shanks barely had time to dive out of the way as another cannonball whistled through the air and completely annihilated whatever was left of the rocky fortress Shanks had so long relied on for protection. Shanks, out of breath, slowly stood up, readjusting the straw hat on his head. "Whoa, that was dangerous." he said to himself. He looked up as the rubble cleared. He rubbed his eyes and could now see where the two cannonballs had come from. A pirate ship had begun to sail toward the island, a black flag sailing in the air; "So unfearless."Shanks contemplated. He quickly scrambled into the trees and began to ponder his options. He peered out into the ocean with the cover of the leaves and at the bow of the massive ship, saw a young man with a long black mustache, ambitious eyes, and a red trench coat loosely hanging off of the man's broad shoulders. As the ship came closer to shore, Shanks could swear his eyes met the man's and a moment of recognition passed between them. "He's a pirate. Don't trust him!" Shanks thought fiercely to himself. He had decided. When that man came to shore, Shanks would kill him.

Gold D. Roger was a huge man and was capable of many dangerous things. Though he was ruthless and powerful, he had a kind, gentle heart that cared for even his enemies. As he neared the island, he saw a huge silhouette of a giant castle on the cliff. He pondered for a moment and decided to play it safe. "LOAD THE CANNONS! FIRE AT 12 O' CLOCK!" He bellowed. As the cannons roared for a few rounds, he noticed a boy on a tree near the edge of the cliff staring at him with a frightened expression. "CEASE FIRE!" Roger yelled to his crew. The cannon fire immediately stopped. His eyes met the boy's and a glimmer of recognition flashed between them. As quickly as he had appeared, the boy was gone. Roger chuckled to himself happily. "He really does look like someone I know. Who was it again? The red hair, the ambitious eyes. Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there aye?" he thought enthusiastically. He wasn't sure if the island had anymore inhabitants, but he did have one thing in mind. If he saw the boy again, he would invite him onto his pirate crew.

Thanks for reading. Please review and rate! Thanks *insert smiley face*


	3. Chapter 3

Yay! Chapter 2 is out!

Shanks shivered as the wet leaves brushed his face. From his vantage point, he could get a great perspective on the oncoming pirate entourage.

"Oh geez, how am I supposed to live through this?" he thought. The pirates hacked and slashed through all the plants while the ground seemed to shake with every step they took.

"Rayleigh, do me a favor and break this tree for me will ya?" Roger asked his first mate, gesturing to the tree Shanks was in.

"My pleasure Roger." Rayleigh replied.

"Oh crap, I'm in some serious deep crap." Shanks thought. As the axe made short work of the bark, Shanks closed his eyes as the tree tumbled to the ground.

"HAAAAAH!" Shanks yelled jumping off the falling tree as he thrust his 12 inch hunting blade toward Roger's exposed back. Almost easily, Roger stepped to his side and Shanks tumbled clumsily onto the ground, dust exploding into the air. Roger turned around and grinned.

"What did I tell you Rayleigh? There **was** a boy on this island." Roger exclaimed. Shanks got up and tried to run, but was quickly restrained by Roger's crew. He struggled, punched, kicked, but he was easily subdued and tied up to a tree.

"Eh! What the heck do ya think ya doin!" One of the pirates asked Shanks, his spherical nose probing onto Shank's face,

"Let him go Buggy, yer nose is scarin' him. "Roger humorously pointed out. The whole crew broke into laughter. Embarrassed, Buggy punched everyone in sight and sprinted back to the ship. Shanks remained stone-faced and frightened. Roger cut the ropes lose and grinned.

"Hey, lighten up a bit boy! My name's Roger!" Roger held out his hand to Shanks. "What's yours?"

Shanks turned away. "Sh-Sha-Shanks." He muttered, shaking Roger's hand.

"Shanks." Roger thoughtfully repeated. "Well Shanks, always keep a smile.

Right as Shanks shook Roger's hand, he stiffened up and gasped. Then he made a break for it. He hopped over trees, branches, and whatever was in sight to get as far from the pirates from as possible. Roger dipped his head as he watched the red hair disappear further into the forest.

"Well, there's always next time!" He concluded to his crew.

Meanwhile, Shanks wasn't sure he would have a next time. As he huddled in the hollow trunk of an oak tree, he scolded himself for being such a coward.

"These guys are different! They aren't them!" he told himself over and over again rocking back and forth. When he and Roger had shook hands, he had another flashback. He saw his father shaking hands with a man. A man with the 3 circle crest upon his hat. Shanks was so desperate yet afraid of his only hope. Supplies on the island ran low, but he didn't want to imagine what would happen if he joined the pirates. What if they turned on him like that pirate turned on his father? The betrayal that caused everything.

"Will they even look at me if I go back? What if they turn away and leave? Even worse, pull out a gun and- and-" Shanks shook his head wildly. "NO! They wouldn't do that!" Shanks wanted to find a way to prove himself worthy of being accepted, but didn't want to somehow make things worse. He headed back toward where the pirates last had him. As he approached the area, he could see a fire rapidly spreading among the bushes and trees. There was a roar, gunfire, more gunfire and a lot of yelling. As he removed the leaves blocking his view, he saw the pirates battling a huge, monstrous beast. With three heads. He saw Roger backed up to the trunk of a tree fending off 2 of the mighty beast's heads with half a sword. The third head had just made short work of the pirate it was up against and turned its attention toward Roger. Shanks could see what would happen. He didn't want ANYTHING to happen to Roger. He felt as if he was the only thing close to a nakama that Shanks would ever meet again. Shanks bounded out of the bush and yelled with all his might.

"STOP! NO!" The beast cringed as a shockwave of vibration and light blew through the forest and knocked it off of its feet. Even Roger shielded his face. It was over. Shanks wheezed and coughed. Roger appeared over him and swung a right hook at Shanks.

"OW!" Shanks exclaimed, obviously in disbelief.

"How many times must I tell you!" Roger yelled, then sank to one knee. "Lighten up and smile Shanks." he said smiling. Shanks was stunned. As stunned as he was, no matter how much he couldn't believe it, he still did. After five years, five years of loneliness and pain, Shanks finally smiled.

Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! Chapter 3 coming soon!


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